Pre-game Thoughts on Game 7

Just a few quick thoughts before it's time to drop the puck on this series' deciding seventh game:

• I wouldn't be surprised if the Bruins have to (pardon the bad pun) weather the storm early tonight. Carolina hasn't had to play with "desperation" at all in this series yet, while the Bruins have been playing for their playoff lives for the past two games. In some cases, especially in game five, it was clear that the Bruins were working harder and wanted it more, winning puck battles and out-hustling the 'Canes. Chances are that won't happen tonight, as the 'Canes are now facing a do-or-die game as well.
• Look for Milan Lucic to get involved early. His hit on Dennis Seidenberg essentially kickstarted the B's in game five at home. Any physical activity, be it from Lucic, Byron Bitz, Shawn Thornton or Zdeno Chara, gets the crowd going and energizes the team. Lucic is going to have to keep it within the rules, as an early power play would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the 'Canes, a pristine chance to quiet the home crowd.
• Keep an eye on Marc Savard. Claude Julien said that he sent Savard to the room at the end of game six essentially because he didn't want to risk further injury and that the game was already in hand. The game, as referenced by the last eight minutes, really was far from over, making me wonder if Savard's knee is more injured than we're being told. There is little short of a cripplnig or life-threatening injury that will keep a hockey player out of a playoff game let alone a deciding seventh game, but the Bruins need Savard to be 100%, at his play-making best.
• At some point in this game, Tim Thomas or Cam Ward will make a momentum changing save. This may seem like common sense or a broad prediction, but look for it to happen for one side. For Thomas, he has made one in each of the last two games, making two quick saves in the first period of game five just after the Bruins have scored and making a sprawling save last game to keep the 'Canes off of the board. While Thomas or Ward may not "steal" the game, one of them is going to have a chance to come up big for their team tonight.
• A lot is being made of the 'Canes "being here before", a reason for them not to worry. Also, a Versus analyst said that the pressure now shifts back to the Bruins, who are now expected to win. To me, the pressure is on each team equally. The 'Canes don't want to be a team that blew a 3-1 series lead, and the Bruins don't want to get eliminated in the second round as a top-seed. As far as experience goes, the Bruins are no slouches in that department. Everyone on their assumed starting line-up tonight experienced a game seven last year, excluding Byron Bitz, Michael Ryder, Stephane Yelle, Chuck Kobasew and Steve Montador. Bitz is the lone-playoff greenhorn here, however, as the others have significant playoff experience (Ryder with the Habs, Yelle and Kobasew with the Flames and Montador with the Ducks). Two of the leaders of Carolina's 2006 Cup-winning team are currently with the Bruins as well: Aaron Ward and Mark Recchi. While the 'Canes may be more-experienced, the Bruins certainly aren't a group of novices.
• To me, this is the Bruins' game to lose. They have proven in the past two games that if they play the way they are capable of playing, they can win. If they can play physical but careful, and continue to work hard up and down the ice, they should be OK. Does that mean I think this game will be easy? No, this won't be a flashback to last night's thrashing of the Capitals by the Penguins. But if the Bruins play their game and do what they've shown they are capable of doing, they will put themselves in a good position to win.

Go B's.

Thoughts on Scott Walker Incident, Game 6

One of the biggest stories to come out of the Bruins' game five win over the Hurricanes was the Scott Walker "sucker punch" incident, viewable below.

Today, the NHL announced that Walker would NOT be suspended, and would instead have a $2,500 fine levied against him. Bruins fans are understandably frustrated by the ruling. After the incident occurred, Walker was given a two-minute instigator penalty, a five-minute fighting major and a game misconduct. Aaron Ward, on the receiving end of the punch, was given two minutes for roughing, probably for the shoving match he was involved in with Matt Cullen prior to Walker's interruption.

The reason that Bruins fans are up in arms over this ruling is that, according to the NHL rulebook, anyone assessed an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of a game is automatically suspended for the next one. From the NHL Rulebook, rule 56.a:

(NEW for 2005-06) A player who is deemed to be the instigator of an altercation in the final five (5) minutes of regulation time or at any time in overtime, shall be assessed an instigator minor penalty, a major for fighting, a ten minute misconduct and an automatic one-game suspension. The length of suspension will double for each subsequent offense. In addition, the player's coach shall be fined $10,000 -- a fine that will double for each subsequent incident.

(NEW for 2005-06) (NOTE 1) No team appeals will be permitted either verbally or in writing regarding the assessment of this automatic suspension.

If the above rule is to be taken at its word, then there's no way Walker could NOT be suspended. However, upon review, apparently by the league itself, specifically disciplinarian Colin Campbell, the suspension was "rescinded".

The problem here is that apparently Campbell, who has been skewered by hockey fans league-wide for his inconsistent policing of the game (see, just this playoffs, Milan Lucic, Alex Ovechkin, Donald Brashear, Mike Komisarek...list goes on), thought that what Walker did deserved a fine, but not a suspension. By fining Walker, Campbell is conceding that he did SOMETHING wrong, just apparently not enough to sit for a game.

The Bruins are understandably miffed by the ruling, as GM Peter Chiarelli noted that the team "respectfully disagree[d]" with the ruling. The Hurricanes, on the other hand, are relieved, and seemingly feel that Ward was the recipient of some kind of payback for "liberties" the Bruins have been taking all series.

Rutherford said that the "incident" was "clearly brought on by [the Bruins]", saying that his team has been taking shots from the B's after the whistle all series. I'm not sure what he's been watching, but the B's have hardly been the only one's taking shots, as, in my opinion, they've remained relatively restrained considering the number of times 'Canes have, shall we say, "visited the crease" of Tim Thomas this series.

What it all means is that the 'Canes will still have the services of one of their grittier forwards tomorrow, and that the Bruins may be without Ward, who is being evaluated for a fractured orbital bone. He is traveling with the team, and if I had to guess, I'd say he plays tomorrow, probably with a mask or a full cage.

This, along with the Jussi Jokinen slash of Zdeno Chara, may work in the Bruins' favor. Last night's game proved that when the B's play physical, they can neutralize Carolina's speed game, the aspect of their attack that has given the Bruins the most problems. The infusion of anger and borderline hatred for the 'Canes may be what the Bruins need to keep up the physical play.

Winning tomorrow will be tough, as the 'Canes have been stellar in their own building this playoffs. However, if the Bruins can play another game like they played last night, they won't lose again for the rest of the playoffs, not just tomorrow night. The question remains, though. Can they keep up the consistent effort? Can they play "Bruins hockey"?

These are questions that will be answered in under 24 hours, when the Bruins will be on a plane back to Boston, either with the Hurricanes following shortly behind them, or alone, making summer vacation plans.

Go B's.

There's a Hurricane Comin' Through

The Bruins have learned their second round opponent, and it is the Carolina Hurricanes, by virtue of their win over the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers' loss to the Washington Capitals.

Not enough time to write a preview (final tomorrow morning), but the B's were 4-0 against the 'Canes this season. However, the 'Canes tore it up down the stretch, and entered the playoffs as one of the NHL's hottest teams, mainly because of the return of Erik Cole and the rejuvenation of goalie Cam Ward.

Should be a good one, it's about time the Bruins hit the ice again. The Boston Globe is citing a TSN report that games 1 and 2 will be Friday and Sunday nights at the Garden. If that's right, the Bruins will have had eight full days away from game action in between playoff matches, an almost unheard of respite during NHL's dash to the Cup.

Go B's.

Seedings to be Finalized Tonight...

After nearly a week of waiting, the Boston Bruins will find out who their second-round opponent will be by the end of the night tonight. With two game 7's on tap for the evening (Carolina @ New Jersey, New York @ Washington), the semi-final match-ups will finally be completely set. However, there are plenty of different scenarios that could play out. The Bruins could play either New York, Carolina or Pittsburgh. There is no way they could play either New Jersey or Washington in this coming round.

Here are the scenarios for the two key teams (Canes and Rangers), and the end result in each of them:

Rangers

• If RANGERS win and DEVILS win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
• If RANGERS win and HURRICANES win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
  
• If RANGERS lose and DEVILS win, the Bruins play the PENGUINS
• If RANGERS lose and HURRICANES win, the Bruins play the HURRICANES

Hurricanes

• If HURRICANES win and RANGERS win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
• If HURRICANES win and CAPITALS win, the Bruins play the HURRICANES
• If HURRICANES lose and RANGERS win, the Bruins play the RANGERS
• If HURRICANES lose and CAPITALS win, the Bruins play the PENGUINS

Basically, the Bruins will only play the Penguins if both higher-seeds (Caps and Devs) advance. If one upset occurs, the Bruins play the lowest seed available. If BOTH upsets occur, the Bruins would play the Rangers, because they are guaranteed to be the lowest seed left standing.

It's really not as confusing as it sounds, and will all be sorted out within three hours (barring overtime, of course).

Predictions? I'm sticking to my originals, and saying the Canes win and Captials win, setting up the return of Sergei Samsonov to the Garden later this week, and a Bruins-Canes Conference Semifinal.

League-Wide Playoff Preview

Well, it's been quite a while since my last post here, but thankfully the Bruins didn't take as much time off as I did. I've been doing a lot of writing for the school newspaper (www.suffolkjournal.net) and some for InsideHockey.com as well, but figured I needed to at least do a playoff preview for each conference, as well as some predictions. It won't be that in depth, as I may work on a more in depth B's-Habs preview for one of the aforementioned publications.


EASTERN CONFERENCE

(1) Boston Bruins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens
Come on, admit it. It had to come down to this. Same teams, a year later, in opposite roles. If last Thursday's game is any indication, this series will be a barn burner. It's hard to argue that the Bruins aren't better than Montreal in nearly all aspects of the game. The Bruins hold an edge in goaltending, defense, physicality and scoring, while Montreal may hold a slight edge on the power play. If the Bruins play their game and stay out of the box, they'll take this series going away. However, if the B's get complacent and take the Habs lightly, a surprise isn't out of the realm of possibility. Claude Julien isn't likely to let his B's slack off though. Bruins in 5

(2) Washington Capitals vs. (7) New York Rangers
The Rangers played better hockey down the stretch under new coach John Tortorella, but they lack the offensive firepower to compete with the high-scoring Caps over the course of a series. The Rangers definitely have a wide advantage in goaltending though, and if Henrik Lundqvist gets hot, the Rangers have a fighting chance. Jose Theodore can be shaky in goal for the Caps, but they have more than enough power on the other side of the puck with Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green and Alex Semin. Expect the Rangers to put up a good fight in each game, but ultimately fall short. Caps in 5.

(3) New Jersey Devils vs. (6) Carolina Hurricanes
This is going to be my first upset pick, and I'm sure hockey pundits would be aghast: how DARE I pick against Martin Brodeur in the playoffs?! Uh, well, simply: I think the Canes are one of the more underrated teams in the Eastern Conference, and are getting stellar play from goalie Cam Ward when they need it most. The Canes went an astounding 10-1-2 in March, proving that the team is coming together just in time for the playoffs. While I expect Brodeur, Zach Parise, Patrik Elias and Co. to play strong hockey, I think the Canes, on the back of Ward, will take this series in the end. Canes in 7.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers
This battle of Pennsylvania is sure to be a wild one, with bad blood between the two teams closest to each other in the standings. Sidney Crosby and the Pens have played inspired puck under Dan Bylsma, and are starting to look like real Cup contenders again. They have a playoff-tested roster and a high-powered offense. While the Flyers also have plenty of firepower, I'm not sold on their goalies, Martin Biron and Antero Niittymaki. I expect this one to be a close series, but one that the Pens pull out. Penguins in 6.

_________________________________________________

WESTERN CONFERENCE

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Anaheim Ducks
Call me crazy, but I feel like this one may be a shocker waiting to happen. The Sharks have been one of the league's elite teams all year, and finished with the league's best record. The hockey experts hae all proclaimed this "their year", the year where the Black and Teal will finally get that playoff-choker monkey off of their back. I just think they're playing one tough group right off the bat. Like the aforementioned Penguins, the Ducks have plenty of playoff tested vets on the roster. They are a cohesive group, and feel that they have a good shot at knocking off Goliath. I won't go so far as to say that they'll do it, but expect a tight one. Sharks in 6.

(2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (7) Columbus Blue Jackets
Poor Columbus. The Jackets finally make the playoffs for the first time in the history of the franchise, aaaaaaaand what do we have for them? Only one of the best teams of the past decade. I think Steve Mason is the real deal, but he's facing too much talent against the Wings. If Rick Nash can seriously elevate his play to an otherworldly level, then the Jackets may have a chance, or if Mason can get his game rolling, which isn't out of the realm of possibility. The Wings will take this one, but it sure won't be easy. Wings in 6.

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) St. Louis Blues
I love this match-up for the Blues, and I'm not even sure why. There's something about their team that I like, and I think they can take this series. While Roberto Luongo is undoubtedly a stellar goalie, his playoff record isn't as shiny, and I'm not sold on the Canucks as a group, even though their one of my favorite non-Bruins teams. If Luongo plays as well as he is able to, then the Canucks should be able to win, but I think the Blues, led by their enthralling core of youngsters, will shock the NHL and take the series. Blues in 7.

(4) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (5) Calgary Flames
The Flames, who were, as their name suggests, on fire after the trade deadline, have cooled signifcantly, and didn't exactly burst into the postseason in full gallop. The Hawks, led by youngsters Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, are ready for their first taste of late-spring hockey in years, and are primed to make a decent run out West. I think the Flames have plenty of talent, but are going to come up short barring consistently stellar play by Miikka Kiprusoff. Fans in the Windy City will get to enjoy an extended visit to the playoffs this year. Hawks in 6.


So there you have it. According to my predictions, the second round match-ups will be as follows:

Bruins vs. Hurricanes
Capitals vs. Penguins
Sharks vs. Blues
Red Wings vs. Blackhawks

Only time will tell how I do...any comments or predictions are welcome as well, and, as always, Go B's.

1. Game Six

The title of the post really says it all. It's not "Eastern Conference Quarterfinals-Game 6", or "Bruins Playoff Home Game 3", it's just "Game 6". Any Bruins fan would know exactly what that was referring to, and will continue to remember it vividly for years to come.

I'm only 20 years old, and my hockey memory only goes back so far. I don't really remember anything before 1998, so I missed the real glory days of the Black and Gold. However, I've seen plenty of hockey games in my two decades, and I think this is far and away the best game I have ever seen. It had it all: a loud crowd, an air of desperation from both sides, intensity, chippiness, lead changes, bad goals, highlight reel goals, and overall drama. There are dozens of videos of this game on YouTube, of which I've probably watched 90%. I have this game on DVR too, and have watched it at least three times, and may watch it again before tonight's opener too. (In fact, I have two versions of it: one NESN replayed, and one from CBC that was on the NHL Network. It's pretty interesting to hear the differences in the way the pairs of announcers call the game).

This was a game that I wasn't too sure about, and was definitely nervous about the outcome. The Bruins had an incredible showing in game five, stunning the Montreal crowd with a sound 5-1 victory, and this should have led to a boost of confidence in the team. My only fear was that the Bruins would come home and completely lay an egg, falling flat in front of the home crowd.

No dice.

This game started off rocking, just like games three and four, but unfortunately I missed the beginning. I had to work, and ended up leaving an hour and a half early to miss as little as possible. I heard the Bruins were down 1-0 fairly early, and was watching the game at a pizza place in the North End while waiting for my food, when this happened:



I'm not ashamed to say that I threw up both hands and yelled "holy shit!" in the middle of a pizza place. Phil Kessel undressed Francis Boullion, and in doing so tied the game. That was probably the nicest individual goal I've ever seen Kessel score, except for the one at the end of the previous season where he batted the puck in out of the air against the Penguins. However, that goal came in a game of no consequence, where as this was a do-or-die situation. Just like that, on what appeared to be a broken play, Kessel had the Bruins back in business.

It wouldn't last long, however, as after coming oh-so-close on a power-play, including hitting the post once, the B's gave up a breakaway goal to Tomas Plekanec, who stepped out of the penalty box, took an easy feed in on goal and slipped one past Thomas.

Again, the Bruins found themselves down a goal, as time began to tick away early in the third period. However, they'd respond on what again looked like a broken play. Peter Schaefer carried the puck into the Montreal zone, nearly catching Vladimir Sobotka offside. Schaefer then tried to flip a pass to Sobotka, who grazed the puck while skating to the crease, somehow slipping it past Carey Price. To this day, I'm still not entirely sure how that puck went in the net, and from the looks of the celebration Schaefer and Sobotka weren't either, but it didn't matter: the Bruins had again tied the score.

With 17 minutes to go in the game, and having just tied the game, the Bruins had momentum on their side. They'd press Montreal for a bit, coming close on a couple of occasions, but were unable to break through. Then, with 10 minutes to go in the game, Boullion, the goat who got beaten by Kessel, made up for his mistake by beating Thomas on a shot from the point that bounced off of Shane Hnidy's stick, causing a wicked deflection that neither Thomas nor Hnidy could be blamed for. The Canadiens celebrated giddily, and the crowd was momentarily silenced.

It was at that point that the doubts crept in, the Boston fan in me began to think "Well that's how it's going to have to end, on a crappy bounce like that. Figures."

Again, no dice.

These B's refused to go away, continuing to pressure Montreal. With eight minutes to go in the game, and the Bruins running out of time, Price froze the puck for a faceoff in his own zone. The Bruins, after the ensuing faceoff, ended up with the puck and fired a shot on net, one that Price handled and again covered. For some reason, Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau, who at certain moments in this game had a look on his face like somebody had just stolen his lunch money, decided to pull Saku Koivu out of the faceoff circle, where he had been incredibly effective. Bad move, Guy.

Marc Savard won the faceoff, and slipped a pass back to the point, where the puck was fired right back on net. Milan Lucic, who barely moved from his spot on the left wing, turned, took a crosscheck in the back from Mike Komisarek, who routinely turned down invitations to fight Lucic during this series, instead choosing to try and take him out at the knees in game four, and got the shaft of his stick on the puck. The puck defected off of Lucic's stick, bounced off of the ice, and past Price to tie the game AGAIN. The Garden exploded, and it was at this point that I knew they were going to win this game, they just had to.

Soon after that goal, the Canadiens iced the puck, only further inciting the Boston crowd. The B's had all of the momentum, and for the first time in the series looked like they really had the Canadiens on their toes.

Finally, at 15:45 of the third, David Krecji had the puck in his defensive zone, heading up ice. Marco Strum was streaking up the left wing side, and Krecji fed him a beautiful pass, right in stride, indirect and off the boards. Sturm then took that puck and fired another beauty to the tape of a crashing Kessel, who chipped the puck over the shoulder of a stunned Price. 4-3 Bruins.

Jack Edwards gleeful shout of "the Bruins lead!" may never leave my head, ingrained right along with his other memorable line from this game, "This building is VIBRATING!" Yes, the Bruins did lead. In fact, they were ahead for all of 11 seconds, as the Canadiens promptly won the next faceoff, won a chase down ice for the puck, and caught the Bruins napping as Chris Higgins scored his second goal of the night to tie the game again.

To say that the goal quieted the crowd may be an understatement. The PA announcer was still reading off the B's 4th goal when Higgins scored, and the resulting trademark "woooo!" may have been one of the weakest the Garden has ever seen. The Bruins, however, refused to be deterred, and simply went right back on the attack.

1:27 after Higgins' goal, Montreal's Alex Kovalev, my least favorite player in the entire NHL, missed a chance to clear his zone, instead shooting the puck off the body of Zdeno Chara. Chara then threw the puck into the opposite corner, where Sturm knocked Roman Hamrlik off the puck, creating a scoring chance for Chara coming down the slot. That shot went well wide, but Sturm, in the words of Jack Edwards, "threw Hamrlik another bang", got the puck, and fired one through a crowd on net. Sturm, seeing the pile-up of bodies in front of him, also saw the juicy rebound Price gave up, hopped over a skater on the ice, gathered up the loose puck and simply outwaited the sprawling Price. By the time Sturm released the puck, Price was without his stick, and facing the wrong way. Ouch. Sturm fired one into the open net, a couple inches over the desperately outstretched glove of Price, and gave the Bruins a lead that they would not give up.

For the last two minutes of this game, my friends and I didn't sit down. As soon as the puck cleared the zone in the final ten seconds, we took off running from my friend Billy's apartment in the North End to the Garden, just down the street. Why? I don't know really, it seemed like the right thing to do. And believe it or not, this was BEFORE the party that night started, so there was no inebriation of any kind. The scene coming out of the Garden was joyous and loud, with people both excited and stunned by what they had just seen. There are videos everywhere on YouTube for this game, all of which can still induce chills. Yes, the B's went on to get steamrolled in game seven, but that didn't matter then. This game had singlehandedly revived hockey in Boston, bring the excitement of playoff puck to a level it hadn't seen in years.

That excitement has carried over to this year as well, as Bruins fans have been anticipating tonight's puck drop since the minute game seven mercilessly ended six months ago. This is a game that no Bruins fan will ever forget, and one that may be looked at as the turning point of the franchise. This game proved the B's were willing to fight, willing to get dirty, and ready to come from behind, no matter how great the odds stacked against them.

This is the game that all fans watched all summer, fuel to get the fires going for the upcoming season. Perhaps now, on cusp of the 2008-2009 season, I can finally stop watching YouTube clips, finally stop hearing "Sturm....holds....Sturm....scoorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrres!", and finally remove a picture of Marc Savard's game three winning goal from my desktop. After all, a new season is dawning, one that will hopefully bring moments that match and exceed the six listed in this space.

On second thought, who am I kidding? There's no way I'm going to not watch these clips...

Enjoy, and Go B's.










This one's my personal favorite, because it's actually the entire last 8 minutes, in which there would be four more goals scored. The person who posted it has a high quality version of it on the site too, which can be watched by clicking here.




"There'll be a game seven! We'll see ya Monday night!"

2. Savard Snaps the Losing Streak

Coming into game three of last April's Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Bruins had little on their side. They were beaten soundly by the Canadiens in game one, and were victimized by a questionable tripping call in an overtime loss in game two. Sure, the B's were returning home, but they hadn't been able to beat Montreal once in ten games last year.

This was a game that I attended, and was convinced that the Bruins would win. Honestly, I don't know if I was really that confident or if I was just unable to witness in-person another Bruins defeat at the hands of the hated Habs. The building was packed, and there was finally a great atmosphere for a hockey game in Boston, something that had seemingly been lacking for years. Granted a lot of the boisterousness in the crowd came from the fact that it was probably 30% Habs fans, something that should never, ever happen, especially in the playoffs. The Montrealers chants and songs were drowned out by booing Bruins fans, and even before the starting lineups were introduced, a "Let's Go Bruins" chant filled the arena.

The game started off pretty well for the Bruins, as they came out with a lot of energy, throwing hits and getting a couple of good scoring chances. Zdeno Chara was booed by the Montreal contingent everytime he touched the puck, but those boos were quickly overcome by racuous cheers from the Bruins faithful. Basically, this game was a mess of noise from start to finish, filled with chants, "Ole!"'s, profanity, and sometimes just drunken screams.

Finally, 6:30 into the first period, Milan Lucic found himself alone in the slot, took a great feed from Marc Savard, and ripped a wicked wrist shot past Carey Price, one that clanged in off of crossbar and sent the Garden into a frenzy. Not only was it the first time the Bruins led in the series, but the first time ALL SEASON that the B's found themselves ahead on the scoreboard against the Habs.

With the early lead, the crowd kept pushing for more, and the B's nearly delivered. There were a couple of different scoring chances in this game, including a breakaway by Marco Sturm and a 2-on-1 with David Krecji and (I believe) Glen Murray, both of which were turned away by Price.

Despite having the momentum on their side, the B's allowed Montreal to tie the game in the second, as Tom Kostopoulos slipped one past time Thomas with a little less than 16 minutes left in the middle frame.

The rest of the game was a roller-coaster ride, with the B's pressing for the go ahead goal, then nearly giving up that same goal to Montreal, etc. Things went on like this for the last 25 minutes of regulation, and into overtime.

Personally, I'd never been to a playoff game in person, let alone an overtime one where the team I'm cheering for finds itself in as "must-win" of a game as "must-win"'s can be. To say it was nerve-wracking is an understatement, as the entire arena lived and died with each Montreal rush or each Bruins shot on goal. Tim Thomas saved the Bruins big-time on a couple of different occasions down the stretch, including one in overtime where the puck popped into the air over his head and he had to swat it down, or it would have trickled in off of his back.

Finally, with about 10 minutes gone in the first overtime, a Habs player sent a shot in that missed the net and carromed to Peter Schaefer by the Boston blue line, and the rest can be told by a clip that I've probably watched hundreds of times in a couple of months...



To say that this was the greatest sporting event I've ever been to in person would not be an understatement, as I still occasionally get the chills watching this clip. This was one of the biggest goals scored by the Bruins in recent memory, one that all but erased a season's worth of frustration and made the Bruins believe that they could in fact beat this team, and could push to win the series.

This game is something that I will never forget, one of those sporting events that get burned in the memories of all those who were present. Yes, the Bruins eventually lost the series, and yes, this game would ultimately get outshined by the unreal game six, but this game was a fantastic game in its own right, and may soon be able to be looked at as the game that begin the slow rise of hockey back to consciousness in Boston.